The Virtual Paul’s Cross Projecttransforms the text of a speech into a dynamic performance of religious, political, and social meaning. Users can approximate the experience of history unfolding in real time by using more of their senses: listening and looking, and locating themselves in a virtual space.

By reenacting the varied sounds of November 5, 1622, this multi-sensory project illuminates the variedsocialexperience of seventeenth-century England. Despite the pageantry and ceremony surrounding it, Donne’s sermon was nothing more than background noise or a few snatched phrases to many ordinary Londoners.

The Virtual Paul’s Cross Projectelegantly reminds us that there is no one way to hear, see or understand a historical event. It all depends on where you’re sitting.